The Merchant Republic of Yathien
The Merchant Republic of Yathien, Officially Abbreviated as The M.R.o.Y , '''Or commonly called Yathien [Pronounced: Ya-'''Thi-En] is a Country located in the Northern Archipelago of Yath, and a string of Supply Cities on the coast of Northern Aredia, And is the Smallest Nation in existence today, And would be considered a fairly small power on the World stage, despite Yathiens' Colonies being a major Shipping stop for Trade ships taking the Northern Ocean west and east. Etymology Yathiens' past has been dutifully been recorded by Financial and Civil Servants since its founding in 1369 A.E, However the history of the Islands of Yath before Settlement is cloudy at best. History Wytor-Cerdef-Yndsen Eras Nearly Unknown, Natives Settle the Islands of Yath, and a possible Iron Age Civilization Rises in this time and Declines leaving the site of a vast ruined stone city. Armis and Republic Eras Much like the other Eras, The Native Tribes of Yathien, Who herded Reindeer, Hunted Seals, and Fished, remained relatively unchanged until 1369 A.E, When a Group of (Very Lost) Seresian Merchants arrived at The Islands of Yath. The Merchants, seeing opportunity in these primitive Tribals, And soon began to exploit them, turning the Islands into simply large factories, using the local minerals, plant life, and Animals, to fuel their Gains, Eliminating the Chiefs that stood in their way, Leaving 15 men 3 years later, With a years supply of Powder and Shot, and Sailed back to Seresia, planning to return with Seresian Colonists, By any means necessary. Returning a year later, a small fleet in tow, loaded with Livestock, Colonists, and supplies, they found the men they left in charge slain, and the Tribes prepared for them this time, however, Bone spears and arrows could not stop Fire and Sword, Many natives were slaughtered, the survivors fleeing to the ruined island of Far Yath, on the Eastern end of the Archipelago, where they remained for a few more decades, before being integrated into the Yathien Trade Colonies, The Settlers themselves soon established a Trade Post, turning the Dyes, Cloths grown from the Sheep they brought, feeding on the grasses, made their wool smooth and strong, and Fish, which was Exported for Timber, Stone, and Grain from Aredia For nearly 60 years, The Yath Trade posts grew in wealth and power in the north shore, building and selling ships made from the Timber they imported, If you wanted a ship that wouldn't sink as long as she had a capable captain, You would go to the Yath Shipyards, even then, you had to go through a score of Fees, Permits, and Documents to get that ship, (The Fees, Documents, and Permit costs is one of the top income sources to this day for the Republic, But less so today) and then finally pay the Shipwrights, and then go through days of legal fees to get your ship into sea. However, Any man who sailed a Ship from Yath always did well in the rough, cold, North Aredian waters. With the Change of power in the majority of Yath Tradesmen homeland, Seresia, Seeing the corruption of Government in 1444 A.E, they began to quietly smuggler relatives, Friends, and those willing to pay good money, out of Seresia to Yath, Along with a many luxury goods, and goods they could not produce themselves to Yath, and Waited for the inevitable shift of power, And when Revolution Struck in 1462 A.E, the Seresians on Yath took this as a chance of Independence, And Declared the Merchant Republic of Yath, the five most successful Merchants on the Islands were Elected as "The Ephor Council" From which the Designated heir from each Family would succeed their father upon death on The Council, And from this Council, A Serene Hegemon was chosen to lead the Republic for the rest of his life, his Family would be in charge of all Government matters. This worked well from 1463 A.E to 1547 A.E, nearly 84 years this system worked,with trade posts and cities founded on the North Aerdia Coastline for easier access to much needed Timber, stone and Grain. However, one great house,The Rigai family. The Rigai Ephor Sinon, Upon being elected, Abolished the Council, and Declared Dictatorship over Yath, Seized most of the Merchant fleets, and began making Yath Archipelago a series of City Fortress Islands, But he still kept trade open, But made it more difficult for ships to pass through, Requiring a score of Permits, licenses, and legal fees to be payed to all the Merchant Great Houses, Increasing their wealth, and thus keeping them happy, This continued until his death in 1571 A.E at the age of 48, Where his son took over, Otos Rigai. Otos, born in when his father was in power, grew up spoiled, but not Greedy, and knew happy people payed happy taxes...And this allowed him to become a very generous patron of the Arts. But, Made it all the more difficult for outsiders to use Yathien ports, and made it near impossible for ships not owned directly by himself to sail to other ports and bring back cargo, requiring a Charter, gained by following near impossible restrictions, but Yathien continued to enjoy is isolation on its islands, sending out "Restoration Squads" at the end of the Great War(1590-1596 until Otos' death 41 years later, in 1612 A.E. Otos Death caused quite an uproar, for he had no male children, but did have a Nephew, Celeus Rigai. Who, with the backing of his Aunt, Rose to power in a bloody and violent way, with a payed mercenaries taking down any in his way, including several influential Ephor Family members, And began to modernize the sea defenses, military bases, Navy shipyards, and began expanding the Naval forces, with small aircraft carriers, Fast attack Craft, and Amphibious Assault Ships, Constantly being redesigned, scraped, and rebuilt until his death, And along with Tanks, Or Armors, as they are called on Yathien, Supply Trucks, and Marine Squads trained in Amphibious warfare, and training in stealth take downs of ships, However this massive Naval Armament costed much, draining nearly the entire Rigai coffers, and then, he proceeded to increase Dock fees, Taxes, and Tariffs, New fines for crimes, higher fines on already existing fines, and even began to sell off Art and Public works to fuel his Naval Armament. After 40 years of this abuse, On Brover 11th, 1642 A.E, The other Four Ephor Houses revolted against the Serene Hegemon, And seized many of the Military craft, and with the backing on The Anti-Rigai Movement, lead by the Burgher Class leader, Constanti Anthapol, Attacked the Rigai Palace, For 81 days a horde of poorly funded Military, Upset Marines and Naval infantry, along with scores of enraged citizens and Merchants lay siege to the Rigai Palace and finally broke through the walls, rushing up the hill and breached the palace itself, and after a brief and bloody firefight, Celeus was killed, his body thrown into the sea. However, this also meant that the Great House Rigai had no more male Members, Disqualifying them from the Ephor Council, And thus leaving the Council down to four. Constanti Anthapol requested, that he lead the new House, and, with the support of the people, Was inducted into the Council, and elected "The Most Serene Hegemon, Constanti Anthapol" Constanti Anthapol immediately began to remedy 95 years of restrictions and suffering, First off by removing restrictions placed on the Merchant Class, Removing the 19% Income tax down to 10%, Lifting the Requirement of a Charter to bring in Outside goods, And Established a School system still in place today, pushing out an average of 9,000 Merchant Licensed graduates a year, reclaiming public arts and places from private hands, and updating the infrastructure with experimental monorails, trams, and Electric Buses, however the Electric bus would not be a sound economic investment for many years. GeographyCategory:NationsCategory:Eorda The Yathien Archipelago is a vast, varying Geographic region, Ranging from a Taiga To Arctic Wasteland. The Southern Cluster of the islands, the major islands of Yath and Little Yath, along with the smaller islands of the archipelago, fall into the Taiga climate zone, where the majority of the population on the Archipelago lives, The middle Group falling into an Intermediate zone, With small scattered forests, and plains of Tundra, where many hundreds of small islands, few going above a kilometer in diameter, exist.(An Example being Far Yath, an island Special enough to get its own section) The North End of the archipelago is a desolate, barren, rocky area, With no large plants, mostly lichens and mosses, and the hardier summer grasses, exist, and is the least populated area of the Archipelago The Yathien Mainland, however, is a large, lush, Fertile area of Mixed-wood Forest, with fertile soils, lush forests, and houses 1/2 of the population of Yathien, supplying her with most of the needed food, Timber, and materials needed for the repair and construction of facilities, homes, and upgrades to the Homeland. Cities and Important Locations Kemdar: The Capitol city of Kemdar engulfs the South most island, Yath herself, able to be seen clearly from space, and is a very different place unlike any other city in the world. Only in Kemdar can you have a Seresian Deli next to a Hardware store owned by a Arcasan-Zhouranese woman and her 2 children, across the street from a small workshop owned by a Farand Immigrant 3 doors down from a State owned Bank run by a Belrich foreign worker. '''Little Yath: '''While not a actual city, it is more so a massive Correctional facility where most Government goods are made, Little Yath itself is the size of Singapore, with a mix of Factories, Guard stations, and Housing for those being "Rehabilitated" and the occasional recreational facility and Government store and Bank, for even Criminals make wages in Yathien '''Byart: '''Byart is the main city of the Yathien Mainland, a massive port city where Raw goods, Imported goods, and exported goods, all flow through this part of Yathien, In-going or outgoing. MORE TO BE ADDED